LPs
Kilimanjaro
The Teardrop Explodes
Mercury SRM-1-4016
Crocodiles
Echo and the Bunnymen
Korova/Sire SRK 6096
Leading contenders for Band
Name of the Decade, The
Teardrop Explodes and Echo
and the Bunnymen have much
in common.
The groups share producers
(David Balfe and Bill Drum
mond, known collectively as the
Chameleons), keyboard players
(David Balfe, who plays on both
albums but is officially a
member of Teardrop), and po
sitions in the forefront of the
new English art-rock
movement.
Their lead singers, Julian
Cope (Teardrop) and Ian
McCulloch (Echo) share
songwriting credits on ‘'Read It
in Books,” which appears on
both albums.
It's a credit to the talents of
the Chameleons production
team, not to mention the accur
acy of their name, that the two
versions of "Read It in Books”
sound like completely different
songs. The initial releases of the
two bands also sound
completely different.
Depending upon the cir
cumstances, it can be a
pleasure or a disappointment
for a listener to be able to name
the albums a band was listening
to when it cuts a record. In the
case of Echo and the
Bunnymen, the discovery is a
disappointment.
Echo and the Bunnymen
sound alternately like Jim Mor
rison fronting the Gang of Four
or the Talking Heads; it could be
a fascinating starting point, to
be sure, but rarely do they do
anything with it. Only on
“Rescue” are the influences
transcended. The rest of
Crocodiles is made up of
reasonably good songs, but
bogs down in a bloated sense of
self-importance.
The Teardrop Explodes'
Kilimanjaro is much more
interesting. The difference
between it and Crocodiles is
illustrated perfectly by "Read It
in Books.”
When performed by Echo and
the Bunnymen, “Books”
sounds like a slightly
rearranged version of the
Talking Heads’ “Warning Sign.”
The Teardrop version begins
with a martial drum introduction
lifted from Roy Orbison's “Oh,
Pretty Woman,” and turns into a
bouncy dance track punched
up by David Balfe’s sprightly
keyboards.
Balfe's prominence is the real
key to Kilimanjaro'ssuccess. His
piano and organ add a
brightness to the overall sound,
and his synthesizer work cap
tures the sound of a harpsi
chord.
Cope’s songwriting reveals a
sense of humor completely
lacking on Echo's Crocodiles.
Occasionally he gets a bit too
cute, but generally Kilimanjaro
fulfills the promise of the back
cover’s invitation to "Hop, skip,
and jump; wait for the bump. ”
The Teardrop Explodes have
come up with a rarity: art-rock
with a smile.
Phil Bernstein
Touch of Silk
Eric Gale
Columbia JC 36570
You’ve probably heard of jazz
guitarist Eric Gale before, but
most likely on other people’s
albums.
He’s been a New York session
man since the sixties, playing
with the whole CTI (Creed
Taylor, Inc.) jazz label crew as
well as Aretha Franklin, Michael
Ffanks, Carly Simon and other
pop artists. Most recently he
played on Paul Simon’s One
Trick Pony, gracing the title cut
with his bluesy, halting, note
squeezing style.
Gale's latest album, Touch of
Silk, is the seventh showcase
record he's made since his first,
Forecast. Gale has also record
ed with Stuff, an impromptu jazz
combo that plays New York
clubs when they're not on
studio dates. But this time
around it's Gale’s record; he
does the leads and chops
throughout.
Gale didn’t write any of the
writing; all but two of the
numbers are by "swamp-style”
New Orleans-influenced com
poser Allen Toussaint. Touss
aint plays piano and organ on all
the songs, and he produces the
album as well.
The music ranges from the
soft, lilting title cut to a
revamped and funked Charlie
Parker classic blues tune, “Au
Privave.” In between are some
good listening songs, like ‘With
You I’m Born Again” and “Once
In a Smile,” basically com
fortable jazz rounds with each
player hooting or bumping his
solo.
Toussaint’s “War Paint”
doesn’t work — it’s hard to step
into a jazz session with some
Indian-sounding opening piano
bars, then tell the fellows to
sound tribal.^
Stylistically, Gale’s playing is
tasteful and simple. Unlike some
guitarists who’d rather blister
f
through umpteen single line
scales and remind us of all their
practice hours, Gale will pick a
note and play variations on a
theme. His style is to ' feel" his
way through a tune, searching
for that mellow sound instead of
hoping just a lot of notes will
make the message felt.
Touch of Silk is a blend of nice
horn solos, jazzy winelight mu
sic, pretty piano and some
organ-driven feelgood blues.
With Gale vibrating his guitar
throughout, it's an album most
jazz fans will like.
John Malarkey
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